Following a string of successful collaborations with the likes of Barbie and Ladurée, it seems that Christian Louboutin has done it again; this time he has united with Champagne company Piper-Heidsieck to create a crystal stiletto champagne flute. Said to be inspired by the 19th century tradition which originated at the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia whereby gentlemen would declare their love for their chosen lady by toasting them by filling their shoe with Champagne, this package will surely make the ultimate romantic gesture.
The specially designed crystal shoe will make the perfect gift for the discerning fashionista, and of course has been designed to feature the iconic Louboutin red sole. Already labelled a classic in the world of designer collaborations, the red label of Piper-Heidsieck perfectly compliments the elegant shoe.
‘Le Rituel’ package consists of a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne and the 14cm high stiletto glass heel. It is currently available worldwide major departments stores and is priced at USD 500.
www.le-rituel.com
This year Claridge’s have taken their Christmas decorations to a whole new level, seriously raising the style bar through their reinvention of the traditional Christmas tree. For the first time in the Mayfair hotel’s 112 year history, a major fashion designer has been recruited to create an unusual masterpiece. At the beginning of December, John Galliano, the Creative Director of Dior, unveiled the tree which was inspired by festive snow scenes, but has been given a tropical twist.
Claridge’s traditionally becomes a social hotspot in the capital during December, and the tree is always a notable feature of the establishment. This year is certainly no exception, the white and frosty blue coloured tree, which dominates the Art Deco entrance hall, has been decorated with a hand crafted leopard, dragon flies and parrots. The tree will be up until 6th January and is well worth checking out if you’re looking for some slightly quirky Christmas cheer.
www.claridges.co.uk
Mont Blanc is renowned for creating the finest pens in the world, and over the years the bespoke manufacturer has ensured it remains the very best in the world of stationery. A number of high profile celebrities have been honoured with specially created fountain pens which together form the ‘Diva’ collection, with stars including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo and, most recently, Ingrid Bergman. This Christmas, however, Mont Blanc seems set to go one better and has announced details of its latest exciting release- the most valuable fountain pen in the world.
The Emerald Fountain Pen is a one of a kind creation which is sure to become a coveted- if unattainable- item for Mont Blanc connoisseurs the world over. Decorated with emeralds, diamonds and other precious stones, the pen also has an 18 carat gold nib and of course the distinguished Mont Blanc diamond on the lid. It has taken master craftsmen over 18 months to complete and, with so much work invested into one product, you can be sure every detail has been painstakingly checked.
Whilst the pen is considered by many to be priceless it is available to purchase for USD 1.5 million. Let’s hope whoever buys it has something worth writing.
www.montblanc.com
‘Tis the season to be grateful, and we at Quintessentially were very thankful that we were able to take part in such a worthy cause: the Financial Times’ annual seasonal giving campaign. In a vote by 1,600 FT employees worldwide, Room to Read was chosen to be the Financial Times’ charity partner for 2009-2010.
To celebrate the launch of the campaign in New York, Quintessentially joined forces with Room to Read and the Financial Times to put together a cocktail party in the Villard Mansion of the Palace Hotel. The stately and opulent Library Room was a perfect setting to pay tribute to an organization committed to providing 150,000 children world-wide with much-needed books, libraries and other educational resources.
Guests enjoyed champagne and canapés while listening to speeches by John Wood, founder and executive chairman of Room to Read and John Ridding, CEO of the Financial Times. Mr. Wood’s speech was impassioned, sincere, and infectious. I truly hope our efforts are able to help Room to Read and the FT reach their campaign goal this year.
From a charity event uptown, we shift gears to a brand new Chelsea hotspot. Our second annual Aspen Night’s event (co-sponsored by Aspen Snowmass) was a great way to celebrate the holiday season with members and friends. The evening’s festivities took place at Todd English’s new supperclub, Juliet, with great nibbles of lamb and cheeses being passed around while everyone sipped on cocktails from a full reserve bar courtesy of our friends at Ketel One (Tavalon Tea also provided an amazing “White Tea” martini!)
LCS provided the music for the event which had everyone moving throughout the night. As the evening continued, Matthew Williamson had a wonderful presentation of the upcoming season’s key looks, one of which was a gown Matthew designed exclusively for Quintessentially – one of only 10 dresses in the world. As the party wrapped up, guests went home with goodie bags full La Cherche Midi candles, Vis – a – Vis cosmetics, Townhouse spa gift certificates, Aspen Apparel and a ski movie along with Snow and Quintessentially magazines.
Walking down a crowded high street looking for that perfect dress has never been easy. This season’s obsession with all manner of embellishment- be it studs, sequins or shoulder pads- has made it all the more difficult to decide what to wear for that all important Christmas party.
Roland Mouret- a favourite designer of Victoria Beckham- who previously sent shock waves through fashion circles everywhere with his iconic ‘Galaxy’ dress may just have created this season’s ultimate party number.
Modelled by supermodel Heidi Klum at the launch party earlier this month, the Rainbow Project looks set to be a massive hit. More risqué than his usual collections, these thigh-skimming, brightly coloured numbers are certainly a departure from Mouret’s typically demure designs and are sure to make an impact as well as appealing to a younger audience. Of his new pieces, which come in colours such as hot pink, turquoise and mango, the designer himself has stated that ‘this collection is for young girls. The colours are really fresh, it’s a fresh attitude’.
Whilst the new dresses don’t come cheap- they are priced from £850- on the plus side you won’t even have to battle with the Christmas crowds to secure one of these coveted items- the range is available exclusively online at www.netaporter.com.
One of the serious perks about working at Quintessentially is taking out potential members and showing them why they should join. Last weekend I took out a client to The Griffin in the Meatpacking District. We had an amazing night, the music was fantastic, the crowd was gorgeous- the club is frequented by an eclectic mix of celebrities, artists and designers, and we found it a great place to indulge in some serious people watching.
Inspired by the late 19th century, the interior is filled with velvet sofas, gilded tables and antique mirrors, and this beautiful upscale cocktail lounge is dominated by a huge glittering chandelier. Guests can enjoy a sophisticated night out, and enjoy the impeccable service. The champagne (and tequila shots) flowed freely, danced all night and are now preparing ourselves for the next big night out- New Year’s Eve: it promises to be a brilliant night of fun.
Incidentally whilst at The Griffin, I bumped into the former owner of Bijoux, an old personal favorite which closed before the summer. He is about to launch a sexy new lounge in the Hotel Gansevoort called Provocateur, as well as another PM lounge in February. The nightlife scene in New York looks set to improve still further- watch out 2009 hotspots, your days may be numbered.
www.thegriffinny.com
This year’s Art Basel Miami Beach fair proved to be bigger than ever and the events around town were as well! The week started off with a party at MOCA hosted by Vanity Fair, which was held at the museum’s courtyard where guests mingled and enjoyed cocktails and nibbles while viewing the current exhibition. The following day, the New York based gallery Deitch Projects hosted an event at The Raleigh with a special performance by Santigold. Parisienne hot spot Le Baron had their usual pop up -this year the club was at the Delano’s Florida Room.
Celebrities, socialites and artists alike all attended throughout the week; for those lucky enough to make it through the door you might have found yourself rubbing elbows with Jay Jopling, Andre Balazs or L’Officiel Homme’s Milan Vukmirovic along with former MTV VJ Jesse Camp and New York “it” girls Fabiola Beracasa and Genevieve Jones. On Thursday night, The W hotel was the place to be with a private dinner hosted by Cartier at Mr. Chow followed by a party for Alex Delal, Stavros Niarchos and Vito Schnabel at the hotel’s club The Wall -I recall the quote for the evening being “Schnabel lockdown” as the line to get into the hotel for either party went as far back as the parking lot.
On Friday, the chic Miami boutique, The Webster hosted an intimate cocktail reception for designers Viktor & Rolf followed by a private dinner by Caviar Kaspia. As the evening progressed so did the number of events, with a highlight being photographer Bruce Weber’s model-heavy soirée at The Standard hotel. Later in the evening the week’s most highly anticipated event, Visionnaire had their annual party at The Delano hotel, the event was in typical Visionnaire style a mix of big names from art and fashion including the New York Times T editor, Stefano Tonchi.
Finally on Saturday night the New York club, The Box had a pop up at Nikki Beach featuring their notorious and at times scandalous burlesque show while a few blocks down the penthouse and pool area of the Raleigh set the scene for David La Chapelle’s party which went on till the wee hours of the morning. Between the art, fashion and design all going on in Miami in addition to the slew of events, this week’s fair made for a truly sensory experience.
Audrey Hepburn is one of the most iconic actresses who ever lived, and an indisputable paragon of elegance. Fans all over the world idolize her style and it is no wonder that there is huge excitement surrounding the auction of a selection of the star’s wardrobe next week on December 8th.
The clothing is currently owned by a close friend of Hepburn, Tanja Star Busmann, and 50% of the proceeds will be going to the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund and Unicef. If past sales of Hepburn’s bespoke designer wardrobe are anything to go by, then next week’s fundraiser should make thousands for the charities. In 2006 the black Givenchy dress she wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s sold at auction for nearly half a million pounds.
Known for her serious style, all the items are sure to cause a stir; however, perhaps the most prized piece is a haute couture Givenchy dress which dates from 1966 and was created by Hubert Givenchy himself, a close friend of the actress. The dress was worn to a magnificent party which was also attended by Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. A second dress up for sale which is loaded with sentimental value is the wedding dress which Hepburn had made for her wedding to James Hanson- which was then called off.
Any hopeful buyers would do well to remember the actress’s petite frame before getting too enthusiastic about their chances of ever actually wearing one of these beautiful creations.
Passion for Fashion and Fine Textiles including the Audrey Hepburn collection is taking place at 2pm, December 8th at La Galleria, Royal Opera Arcade, Pall Mall, London SW1.
www.kerrytaylorauctions.com
Thanksgiving Week left the streets of New York quiet with many people traveling home to celebrate with their families. You would think that meant nightlife in NYC would be quiet as well, but don’t forget that NYC nightlife is constantly bustling. I had many requests from international clients to go out on Thanksgiving night and throughout the weekend to many of the city’s hippest nightspots.
Juliet Supperclub in Chelsea has been a popular spot for me to promote to my members because it’s the newest club in the city. And my good friend from Norwood, one of the city’s best private members’ clubs, heads things there and gives our members the best deals ever. He’s amazing and takes really good care of us. It’s glitzy, it’s blingy and it’s hip. (Although, dare I say it, it’s just a bit too Miami for me?!) The DJ is absolutely fantastic though, I have to admit that. And once it gets going, there’s no stopping the party! After stuffing one’s face with Thanksgiving dinner, a dance workout is just what they all needed. Hopefully my friend from Norwood could head Juliet in the right direction because it does have potential.
Next stop is New Year’s Eve, and I can tell you, I’m starting to get into the party spirit already!!
Last week Quintessentially Soho hosted The Fair of St Barnabas, a weird and wonderful night of festivities at their pop up members’ club, The House of St. Barnabas. There was an impressive range of entertainment around the House of St. Barnabas including Mick Jones from The Clash performing with his band in the on-site chapel. All of Soho got involved, including artists from local establishments such as the Jazz All-Stars from Ronnie Scott’s, burlesque performers from Madame JoJo’s as well as acts from members of the cast of Oliver!
The Dickensian themed costumes added some serious wow factor to the evening, and guests were able to pick up some wacky accessories and make up with the help of Prangsta costumiers who were on hand to help transform guests. A number of celebrities attended the event, and entered the fancy dress theme with varying amounts of gusto. For those that did, animal heads seemed to have been a popular choice as many guests got truly carried away with all that the enchanting evening had to offer.
For those who couldn’t even wait until December to start expanding their stomachs in time for Christmas there were some serious opportunities for indulgence. Soho-based Randall and Aubin served up all the festive favourites from hog roast and lobster to roasted chestnuts. Reserve Brands, the premium and luxury spirits group and key supporters of Quintessentially Soho, offered a fine winter warmer, The Talisker Hot Toddie, a 10 year old Hot Toddy all the way from the Isle of Skye, as well as The Greek Street Sling with Smirnoff Black vodka, Cherry liqueur, cranberry and lemon juice.
Quintessentially Soho at The House of St Barnabas has been supporting London’s homeless community since its launch in October and proceeds from the fantastic auction and raffle which were held last week are being put towards this good cause.
www.quintessentiallysoho.com
